Inspired by family

Dawn Kryder, director of the Portales Senior Center and the Portales Area transit, has many hats she wears.

link Lillian Bowe: Portales News-Tribune

Dawn Kryder puts up a new poster for the Portales Senior Center. Kryder has been the director of the center and the Portales Area Transit since 2009.

From her job working with senior citizens and the bus drivers of PATs, saving more than 25 dogs from the street with her own money, lecturing on the signs and symptoms of drug and alcohol abuse, being on the state board of the Association of Activity Professionals, playing three instruments and learning the guitar, landscaping her yard, U.S. Navy veteran and fishing, Kryder keeps herself busy.

Kryder, who is 52, originally from Denver but calls Washington state her home, moved to Portales in 2003 for a job as activity director and incident matter coordinator at Heartland Health Care Center. She has many family members in Portales.

Kryder then took the job at the center in 2009 and has loved it ever since.

“I love that my family is so near and they are my inspiration. I look up to them and they are my teachers,” Kryder said.

Kryder’s father lives in Colorado Springs, and he got his pilot’s license at 75 and is her inspiration.

“You try to tell my father not to do something, he will do it anyway. He is just amazing,” Kryder said.

Kryder has five dogs and lives with her partner of 10 years.

What is the best part of your job?

That is really hard because I love all parts of my job. I love working with the seniors. They are just the light of my life and the people I work with in transit are so awesome. I just love all of it.

If money was not an issue, where would you live?

Well if money was not an issue, I would have three places I would want to live at. I would have summer home in Alaska where I can fish and see the wildlife. I would have a huge log cabin style home in Mora, New Mexico and then have a home in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon or Washington. Somewhere near a lake. I would just become a hobo and live in a tent just to live near a lake.

Since you love to fish where is the best place to fish?

I would have to say Bonito Lake near Ruidoso. I always caught my limit on fish and it is very beautiful out there. I do love to fish at Oasis State Park. I always caught plenty of fish there as well.

What is your favorite breed of dog?

I really do not have a favorite breed because I love all dogs, but I love Huskies. My Husky is just a jokester of the group and is so funny. Huskies just have such big personalities, but I also have a miniature Maltese that is so cute and thinks she is the boss. Dogs just love us unconditionally and you have to love that.

Do you have any travel goals?

I really want to go to Alaska. I have family members there so I could go there and stay with them. I want to fish there and see the northern lights. I have to do it before I die.

— Compiled by CMI

staff writer Lillian Bowe